Debbie B.
Did you have any worries before meeting the team at Yada?
Yeah.. judgement, about how I came to Yada. The only worry was whether it would be unconditional non judgement support, I have never ever in all my time with you felt judgement from any of your ladies. That means a lot because that’s allowed me to open up and get the help I needed.
What would you say to someone who was thinking about reaching out to us for support?
Do it! Basically! But you have to be honest with yourself and with you guys (Yada team). You will move heaven and earth to get things sorted for us, like I’ve had situations where I have tried to communicate with the council and you’ve gone and contacted them afterwards and got it done. Because you’re a recognised respected organisation.
Do it! Reach out, but to allow you guys (Yada) to do the best work for anyone you’ve got to be honest with yourself and you guys (Yada).
Yada outreach worker: ‘that’s something that actually annoys me as a professional is when we say the same thing you’re saying but because we’re us we get heard more. We recognise that’s annoying and not the way it should be, you’re the expert of your life, you’re the one who should have the most say.
Yeah, but sometimes we don’t actually know what’s best for our lives because we’ve got walls up or fallen down the drink and drug route and we’re just getting by. In a clearer state of mind we might know what’s best for our lives, but you allow us to remember who we are.
That’s so beautiful. What would’ve made it easier to contact us sooner?
Umm… I went through the council, different agencies and I’d never heard of you ladies at all and then I went into a shop and there was a load of flyers and there was the salvation army and Yada.
No one else had told me about you guys, perhaps because I hadn’t told them about my previous work situation if you know what I mean.
There are so many barriers for reaching out for support. What would you say to women who feel unable to reach out?
For one, think about your own safety. Don’t allow someone else to have control. Get some power back.
If they know of you guys, then I would say just pick up the phone, now! No harm, no foul.
I’m sure you have loads of ways women can reach out to you. You’re not the sort of service that will drop people if they don’t turn up a few times. Trust me, I know that.
Honestly, it’s not me blowing smoke up your bum, but I have never found anything to be annoyed with you girls about, literally nothing.
You opened up many different avenues for me, that I previously couldn’t open up myself and also ones I didn’t know about.
Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know.
Some of the things I would’ve never have even thought of! Like the carers and cleaning service.
I like to think of our session like a washing machine… women may come to an outreach session with all their thoughts spinning around like they are in a washing machine. All we do in outreach meetings is sit and take time to take that washing out and sort it into piles, we’re not there to fix or take over just to listen and help you make sense of things.
It’s like you’ve got a million piles and you don’t know which to sort first, but you help unravel. You slow it all down, you guys actually ask questions and it helps solidify what’s more important at that particular time. You guys helped me see I don’t have to do that and that. That can wait cause I can be a bit overwhelmed.
To any woman, it’s not just about selling sex - it’s about being abused. Any woman that needs help, just phone you guys. You are the SOS for ladies.
All we want to do is walk alongside women. We don’t want to be fixers.
I’ve never felt pressured by you guys, you’ve dealt with me, and my character in the way. You have never pandered to me, you haven’t told me what I want to hear, you have just seen me. You saw me.
That’s so beautiful! That’s actually what Yada means… ‘to be known’. Not telling women who they are but giving women the time and space to know themselves.
What helped you feel safe speaking with us?
The fact you were women, they way you train your ladies. You’re all the same, I mean you’re all different but you're always about you that puts the anger in me at ease and even if I shout and swear I know you’re not gonna tell me what to do.
I can’t put it into words, it’s how you deal with us, with me, you all go about it in the same way. It means your training is solid… consistent.
It’s all about building an amazing outreach team… having a team who are always going to be respectful, approachable and non-judgement.
You’ve made me a better me, it’s made me a nicer person.
You were already a nice person, we didn’t need to do that.
Maybe I forgot that I was nice.
Sometimes you need other people to help you and celebrate the things you’re good at.
You guys are all about justice, you advocate.
That’s something your outreach workers have in common, they are really nice people but they are also not going to put up with injustice. As a normal person you have to just put up with rubbish.